One Night At The New Canary Hotel
by momoirousagichan
Summary: Take a ball of fluff and throw it away. Spoilers til Chapter 162. I finished the story without creating a better summary. I'll just leave it as is.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

I don't own Skip Beat.

**Pre-Warning Note: **I thought I was going to put this fic up as an M, but the guidelines said I can post it as a T! :D No lemons. No limes. Just expect people being roughed up a bit at a later chapter.

**Acknowledgments: **Bloody_Rose23 for beta-ing.

**Dedications: **To alitablake, who was looking for a good KyoSho fic. This is neither a KyoSho fic nor is it a good one. Sorry.

* * *

As the elevator ascended up to their floor at the New Canary Hotel, Kyoko snuck a peek at Tsuruga-san through Setsuka Heel's thick hair.

Definitely not an ordinary fairy, most definitely not a lower ranked one. This was Tsuruga Ren. He would definitely be in the upper, upper ranks, like a prince.

No, no... she shook her thoughts away. No way! The prince of fairies was Corn! He said so himself! If Tsuruga-san was a fairy, he'd probably be that evil twin brother. A fairy gone bad... she thought firmly. Especially with the way he was dressed right now...

The door pinged open and he started to walk out. "Let's go, Setsu," he said.

"O-OK!" she snapped back to reality and she followed Cain-nii-san.

This was bad, she thought, as she stared at his back. Since she saw him at the Culture Park that afternoon, she'd been thinking non-stop about why Amamiya-san and the rest of the crowd that gathered would suddenly say that he was a fairy. Did Amamiya-san have some connections to the supernatural world that would lead her to believe that Tsuruga-san was one? And every time she would try to speculate his rank, it always came up as prince. When she tried to match him up side-by-side with Corn, she couldn't even see Corn's face anymore. It had already been taken over by Tsuruga-san!

Tsuruga-san was screwing up her precious memories!

"Setsu," he turned to her as he slipped the card key into the slot of the door.

Crap! Now, she'd forgotten to be in character again! She'd been spacing out and drifting back into Setsu at the Box "R" shoot so much, now that she actually needed to be Setsu, she couldn't get it right.

"What is it, nii-san?" she asked.

"Did you go shopping today?" he asked, nodding towards the paper bag in her hand.

"Yes, just a couple of things I need," she smiled dryly. "You went shopping too." She pointed at the paper bag he was holding.

"Yes," he nodded. "Did you put your purchases on my tab?"

"No," she shook her head. That was too ridiculous. Underwear was something a girl would buy for herself, not something one would ask from a guy, especially not from one's brother.

"Then is it a surprise for me?" he asked, as he opened the door.

Oh, it's definitely a surprise. She could just see the surprised look that would be on Tsuruga-san's face if she started parading around in her underwear. And how he'd laugh and point and tell her how stupid and uncute and unsexy she looked. "No," she said through uneasy laughter.

"Then you should have put it on my tab," he said, stepping into the room and turned the light switch on.

Could they just stop talking about her underwear? She thought, as she set the paper bag on the bed before making a beeline to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and poured juice into a tall glass.

Come to think of it, she thought, as she started putting in ice. Shouldn't her older brother be having a beer or something? She accepted the role because one of her initial fears was that Cain Heel wouldn't eat and do nothing but drink booze for dinner. A man who just came home from a long day at work would have a drink. She remembered all the salarymen regulars at the Daruma-ya who would come to the restaurant for that reason alone.

Besides, it wasn't like he wouldn't eat properly, she thought reasonably. Not if she could help it.

The hotel's fridge was freshly stocked with lots of food. It's not like Tsuruga-san was the type to go weird after one drink.

She looked up towards him and was surprised to find him staring at her.

"W-what is it?" she asked nervously. "Nii-san?"

* * *

It wasn't fair, he thought, as his eyes trailed after Mogami-san as she moved around the little kitchen. Why did he have to be the one to tell Mogami-san that he can't have her around?

When he saw her just after his Dark Moon shoot in the parking lot in Jelly's trailer, he couldn't work up the nerve to say it. She was definitely going to get hurt if he said it to her the regular way. Even with all the logic of how acting Setsu will bring her no benefit in acting or a paycheck. Knowing her, she was probably doing this and intending to see this through to the end simply because it was a Love Me Section task similar to the one she did when she was his temporary manager. He was simply doing it as Cain - a cowardly way out.

She looked up at him and looked flustered. "W-what is it, nii-san?"

It was now or never.

"Setsu," he said, putting on his Cain Heel character.

"Yes?"

"I think," he continued hesitantly. There was little time. The President was waiting in the parking lot in the basement to take her back to the Takarada mansion where she was going to be given a debriefing. It's better this way... He decided, as he straightened up from where he sat and bravely said, "It's better if you go back home."

* * *

Kyoko froze where she stood and stared ahead at Cain-nii-san.

He was, she swallowed, sending her - no, Setsu - back?

That was probably the biggest NG she had ever gotten from him! she panicked. What's wrong? she was acting the role properly, wasn't she? Sure, she faltered a lot yesterday, but that was only the first day! It wasn't fair, she thought. He probably had a good month or two to create the character of Cain Heel and he was expecting her to accomplish it in one day. He was the greatest actor in Japan and she was a clueless newbie with less than a year's worth of experience!

She was about to ask Tusruga-san why when she realized that Tsuruga-san called her Setsu, meaning it was Cain-nii-san who was talking to her. So, she had to give a Setsu-appropriate response.

"D-did our parents have a say in this or was it just your decision?" she asked, referring to President Takarada and Ten-san. She was devastated that Tsuruga-san had been going behind her back and voicing out his complaints about her to him. Not only was that completely humiliating, the president of the most powerful agency in Japan would know about her not being a capable actress!

"No," he shook his head. "It was my decision."

It felt like an arrow to the gut.

"Was it because I caused you problems yesterday?" she asked quietly. He was trying to get rid of her because she did cause him problems. He was so out of it after the fight with seaweed head and his band of thugs - something he didn't need if he was going to be focusing on his role.

"It's not that," Cain-nii-san sighed. "I just think you could do much more productive things if you went back. You know that you're not going to be appearing in the movie, right?-"

"So who's going to make sure you eat properly?"

"I can take care of myself," he said, standing up from where he sat. "Besides, I never really intended to bring my little sister along for such a weird job."

That wasn't something a doting older brother would say! Everything he was saying was generally true - and she hadn't even known that she wasn't going to be acting with him in the movie, but.. But...

"No," Setsu flippantly said. "I'm not going home. I'm staying here with you."

Damn it, she thought. She didn't want to give up the role. This was only the second time she'd ever enjoyed a role and she wanted to continue acting it so badly. She wanted to see it out until the very end.

"What?"

"I promised our parents I'd look after you until the end of your shoot here," she reasoned with a flat tone. "If you want me to leave, you're just going to have to do it by force."

"Setsu..." He looked at her with displeasure. Obviously, Cain-nii-san was not used to having his wishes disobeyed. He let out a breath of frustration before taking a step forward.

Her eyes widened and she jumped. He wasn't really going to force her out, was he?

Tsuruga-san really wanted to get rid of her. Why?

When Cain-nii-san was just at arm's reach, she threw herself on the ground and clung to his leg. "I don't want to go back!"

"Setsu," he yelped out in surprise.

"Please, nii-san!" She whined. "You promised to take me out sightseeing and that I can go shopping some more!" That's what nii-san would have told her when the Heel siblings came to Japan. "It's because I got you into trouble yesterday, wasn't it? I promise I'll behave. Just don't send me back!"

"Don't make this difficult, Setsu," Cain-nii-san sighed.

"I don't want to go back." She buried her face in his pant leg and held tight. "If it's only because you want to pick up girls and have drunken orgies and I'm in the way, I can always leave the room." He could do that when she was at her Kimagure Rock shoot and as long as they didn't do gross stuff on her bed.

"Eh?"

"I mean, you're a guy, right?" She blushed as she loosened her grip on his leg. Where the hell was she carrying this conversation? Even if Cain Heel was a bigger playboy than Tsuruga Ren, that was none of her business. She looked up at Tsuruga-san and saw that his lips were quivering. He started laughing.

Kyoko stared up at his odd reaction and finally let go of his leg.

He really was laughing at her! He was even clutching his stomach. "I-Is that the reason you're thinking about?" he stammered. He laughed some more. He was laughing at her.

It wasn't even his usual throaty chuckle. It wasn't even his usual sarcasm. He was laughing at her as though she just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. No, he was laughing at her because she was ridiculous.

"I see..." She understood everything.

"Eh?" He broke out of his laughing fit.

"You could have just said it straight out, you know," she said quietly, looking at the floor. "I'm not a child. Just say that I'm not needed here."

"Wait..." he started.

She stood up and looked at him. He was obviously shocked, which was a strange reaction. "Fine," she said when he didn't say anything. "I'll go back." She turned around and started for the door. "Have fun with your job here." She grabbed the doorknob. She turned to him and cried out, "Don't come after me!" before slamming the door behind her.

What the hell! Kyoko agonizingly thought as she stared at the closed door. Cain-nii-san would have come after Setsu if she threw a temper tantrum. He would have come after her, consoled and cajoled her until she'd become convinced to go back into the room. He would have even resorted to material things if needed.

Kyoko sighed. She obviously thought up the wrong profile for Cain Heel. Just proof that she wasn't a strong observer or analytical enough to be suitable to act side-by-side with Tsuruga-san. Her Setsu was rejected and she was being banished from the project.

And she had acted so spoiled too! she thought, ashamed. When they saw each other for Dark Moon's final episode, she would apologize to him properly.

In defeat, she walked towards the elevators, and once on the ground floor, headed for the main door. She stepped out and looked around in confusion. The car that brought them back to the hotel wasn't there.

Of course! she slammed her fist on her palm. It was part of the instructions that if they were leaving their characters to go outside, they should head to the basement for their transformation.

"Miss..." A doorman came up to her.

"No, sorry," she answered. "I just remembered where the car is." without another word, she turned around and headed back inside towards the elevators. She stood impatiently, waiting for the elevator car to descend.

Finally, when the ping signaled the opening of the door, her eyes widened with shock as they met the eyes of the occupant.

Fuwa Sho gave her a once-over and smiled. "What's wrong, little lady? Are you lost?"

* * *

**Chapter Notes:**

**-** This story is not really going to go anywhere. It's going to be short that'll be about five or six chapters. Please keep the expectation level to a low. I just couldn't get it out of my head since Chapter 161. This is going to be a short one and not at all humor like my previous fics.

- I know the characters seem to be OOC, but it doesn't seem OOC if from Cain or Setsu's point-of-view.

- Updates will come depending on the beta-reader. She said it'll be in a day or two.

- I'm not expecting reviews, but I'll appreciate them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I don't own Skip Beat.

**Acknowledgments: **Bloody_Rose021 for beta-reading. Thank you for suffering to my drivel and my horrendous grammar.

_The reviews I received scared me.  
_

* * *

What was wrong with him? Ren thought, as he stopped himself when his foot moved towards the door.

That was probably Cain Heel, the stupid older brother who turned into milk toast when it came to his little sister. Who would have thought a little sister character would grow on him so quickly? It had only been a day.

As he expected from a talented actress like Mogami-san, she'd acted as Setsu so effectively that he'd become carried away by her temper tantrum, not wanting to be sent away by her important person. Kicking and screaming until the very end. He probably wouldn't have tolerated something like that if Mogami-san was acting like a brat.

Either way, he accomplished the goal. He was actually afraid that he was going to have to tell her the truth: that he didn't think she could be an effective protective charm if there was a next time so there was no need for her to stay there.

Ren turned around to head for the bathroom. His eyes fell on the drink that she had been preparing for him.

She was going to hate him from now on, wasn't she?

No, he firmly thought. If there was anything predictable about Mogami-san's predictable personality, she'd probably be feeling contrite about the whole thing and try to apologize to him when they saw each other on the Dark Moon set the next time they were together again. He'd make it up to her then and explain that the whole thing had nothing to do with her nor did she have any shortcomings with her character.

The room seemed very empty now, Ren observed. Without Setsuka Heel suddenly appearing out of nowhere at every turn, the distance from where he stood to the bathroom seemed miles away.

He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about those things. He'd gotten what he wanted, right? He walked to the closet to put the new things he had Yashiro-san buy for him while he was shooting for Dark Moon. There was no way he'd spend another evening lying on a bed in nothing more than his underwear and robe with Mogami-san so close-

Wait a minute, he stopped himself. Without Setsu in the picture, he really didn't need his new change of clothes or had to think about keeping his modesty in check.

His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing, Ren made his way towards the small table between the two beds. It was probably the president. He braced himself to be shouted at for being an idiot.

"Yes, hello?"

"Yo, Cain," The President's happy voice unexpectedly came through the other line. "I assume you've patched things up with Setsuka-chan and won't be sending her back?"

"Pardon?" he asked in confusion.

"It's been half an hour and I'm still waiting," The President said cheerfully. "She's not coming down, is she?" Then, in a pouting tone added, "It's rude that you forgot about me, but I'm happy either way. I'd ask you why, but let's leave that for a next time."

"Boss..." Ren slowly answered. "Setsu... left about, twenty minutes ago."

There was only silence on the other line.

"Ren, you moron!" was the next thing that rang through his ears. "You didn't even have the decency to bring her downstairs to say goodbye! What kind of an older brother are you? Just what would happen if she started loitering outside? Not only might she unwittingly expose Cain Heel and this project, what would happen to a rebellious, fashion-forward 17-year old girl do when she started loitering outside without a phone, money or anywhere to go?"

The memory of Setsu being cornered by the group of hoodlums from yesterday flashed through his head. They might really come after her, either to have their fun with her, or to get back at him for what happened. "I-I'll go look for her," he said, as he carelessly hung up the phone and dashed out of the room.

* * *

"You're really not going to eat all of that, are you?" Shotaro asked, as he eyed the six miniature desserts the waiter set in front of her.

"It's not like I'm asking you to treat me, you know," she retorted pointedly. "I'm charging this to my room."

Actually, her head spun when she when saw the prices. She knew desserts didn't come cheap, but they definitely were not expensive. She resented the thought of having to owe that much money on the Heel siblings hotel account just for the sake of the idiot sitting across him. If he was paying, she would gladly order a dozen just to hurt him a little.

Of all the morons in the world, she had to run into Shotaro. Her composure nearly slipped and risked exposing herself and Cain Heel when her demons had started coming out at the sight of him.

At that moment, she decided to act out the role of Setsu. Not only did she not want to ruin a project that cost more money than what she'd ever see in her lifetime, she still really, really wanted to play the role. So badly.

'Before one can fool one's enemy, one must fool one's friends' was what President Takarada scolded her with early that morning when she told him that she had called Yashiro-san about Tsuruga-san's schedule the night before. She never got around trying it out on friends, but suddenly felt up to the challenge of fulfilling her role when faced with her enemy.

"You know, Setsu..." he began.

"It's Setsuka-san," she glared at him. Only her brother can call her with such familiarity. "Actually, since we just met, I think called me Heel-san is much more appropriate."

"Well, Setsuka-san," he allowed with charming smile. "As I was saying, there are better ways to get back at the person you're made at than just ordering six expensive desserts."

"I'm not trying to get back at him," she muttered as she took a cake slice into her mouth. Her mouth watered at the explosion of flavor. At the ridiculously high price the hotel restaurant was charging, it should be. She wanted more, but that wasn't part of Setsuka's character. She pushed the cake aside as though it didn't pass muster and pulled a torte in front of her.

Sho put a coffee cup down on the saucer and said, "So you're trying to get his attention in hopes that he'll notice and come running after you even if it's just to scold you for charging that much on puny desserts. He won't even notice until he checks out of the hotel."

"How would you know?" She wasn't doing this to get back at Tsuruga-san. She was doing this act for him.

"You look like someone who's angry and walked out on someone, but can't and doesn't want to leave the hotel and didn't know where to go," he pointedly said.

"I knew where I was going..." She muttered.

"Sure," he let out a snort. "The basement."

She really was heading for the basement, she glared at him heatedly. She panicked at being found out that she acted as Setsuka Heel would.  
After all, Shotaro was her enemy. Just as Mother Nature intended. She still hadn't forgiven or forgotten how he nearly ruined Vain Day for her.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn't talk about the basement so she tried to avert the topic back to whatever uninteresting thing he was getting to.

"I'm not trying to say anything," Shotaro let out a laugh. "Just that you wouldn't be where you are right now if he really wanted to come after you. But if you're dead-set on having him come after you, it'll take more than just desserts to do that." When she glared at him, he smiled. "Don't look at me like that. I just happen to have experienced a clingy girl who made me the center of her universe and expected me to make her the center of mine."

What the hell? Kyoko felt something dangerous flare inside of her. This idiot Shotaro can openly talk about her being a clingy girl to total strangers? That was low, she thought, feeling her demons rising. "So..." she asked in a dangerous tone, "Where's this clingy girl right now?" If he says any more, he's a dead man. Setsuka or not.

"Abroad," he said in a bored tone. "She's in some exotic location for some gravure shoot. She'd be pretty boring if she wasn't so loyal. My type's totally on the cute and stubborn side."

Abroad? Gravure? He couldn't mean... Nanokura Mimori-san?

"So," she slurred curtly. "While your girlfriend's away, you're free to pick up random girls in hotels?"

"I'm not here to do that," Shotaro said defensively. "My national tour starts tomorrow and this is the starting point. Besides, guys like me don't have girlfriends."

"Guys like you?" she repeated, annoyed. His fame really got to his head. Even a flighty playboy like Tsuruga-san wouldn't brag and say things like that.

"I'm assuming you're from abroad," he said. "You don't recognize me, do you?"

Speak for yourself! She bit her tongue. How the hell could he not recognize her? Was his brain so incapable of doing so? Then again, the first time they'd met where he didn't recognize her, she was a plain noodle employee at a service station. He definitely wouldn't be able to do so with her as a pretty, fashion girl. She guessed it was to her advantage. "No, not really," she shook her head. "Sho-tan. I just came to Japan yesterday."

He smirked. "If you're going to call me Sho-tan, I should get to call you Setsu-chan."

"Whatever," she shrugged.

"Then, Setsu," he cheerfully said. "What do you say we ditch this stuffy place and go somewhere where two kids our age can have fun."

A club? Or maybe somewhere in town? He said a place two 17-year olds can have fun. A formal hotel restaurant in a fancy hotel didn't exactly fit that category. And a young, fashion girl going through a rebellious age was not the type to hang out in such places.  
"Sure," Setsuka shrugged. "Why not?"

"Great!" He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. "Should we head out now, Setsu?"

* * *

Something snapped inside Ren as he stood by the maître d's stand when he saw Fuwa Sho smiling down and putting his hand on Mogami-san's shoulder.

What the hell?

Of all people, what was Fuwa doing at a place like this? What the hell was she doing with him? As Setsu.

He spent a great deal of time running around the hotel after the doorman assured him that Setsu - whose hair made her distinctive - went back into the hotel saying she remembered where the car was. From there, he went through three basements, the lobby, the cafe, the pool area, another restaurant, and every corner accessible to the public in the place. And all this time, she was with Fuwa?

Ren took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to cause trouble. Mogami-san was already blaming herself for what happened yesterday.

He stepped out the restaurant and took a deep breath. Before he took Mogami-san away, he had to prepare himself. He was going to act as Cain Heel, just a stone's throw away from punching the living daylights out of Fuwa and dragging Mogami-san away to a place where he can shout at her for letting Fuwa come near her. He held onto his wrist and the watch that hung from it.

"So, Setsu," Fuwa's voice breezed through his ear. He turned his head and saw Fuwa walking pass him and turned right out of the door.

Setsu? he thought irritably.

"What?" Setsu said in the same expressionless tone she'd use when talking to other people. She also walked passed him without giving any inclination of seeing him. She was following him.

"Isn't the guy you're trying to get attention from going to come look for you?"

"Oh, he won't be coming after me," she said. "Besides, he was the one who got rid of me in the first place so what would he care?"

Ren's eyes widened at what she said. That wasn't true. Well, it was. But definitely not in the crude terms that she used. And at that moment, seeing her retreating back walking away from him to follow Fuwa was the final straw. It was completely unacceptable.

Cain took a step forward and called out to them darkly, "Hey."

* * *

**Chapter Notes:**

- Of course, Sho wouldn't recognize Kyoko! He hasn't recognized Kyoko in the past.

- Like said, this story is not going to go anywhere. It'll last about four or five chapters. (See? It's even shorter than my original estimate!) Keep the expectations at a low. D: Based on the reviews I've gotten, it seems like people think that I'm writing some kind of serious continuation. LOL, no way. Not with the next chapter three days away. :D

- Anyway, reviews are not expected but will be appreciated. Next chapter might be available later, depends on my beta-reader.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I don't own Skip Beat.

**Acknowledgments:** Bloody_Rose021 again, for beta-reading.

**Dedication: **Lamian, here's another pathetically short chapter. Sorry.

**Author's Note:** Before you start to read, I want to share a quote from an anonymous commenter from a Skip Beat post I read off LJ-

_"No one cares about Shou (fans), just because he's a horrible human being and has no soul does not means doesn't deserve love~" - Anonymous_

It has nothing to do with the upcoming chapter. This is an early apology for a lousy upcoming scene. Writing this chapter made me realize that I'm bad at writing such things.

**

* * *

**

Kyoko stopped in her tracks at the sound of the familiar voice. Slowly, she turned around and surely enough, Tsuruga-san was standing there.  
No, she swallowed. That was the Demon Lord. Worse, it was...

"Nii-san!" she cried out in surprise. Her rage detectors popped out, then made a slow retreat at the sight of him. Cain Heel was definitely someone they didn't want to see.

"'Nii-san'?" Shotaro repeated in disbelief as he turned around. His eyes widened and he froze at the sight of the formidable stance Cain-nii-san was taking. "Setsu," he pointed. "The person whose attention you're trying to get is your brother?"

You're an idiot as always, Shotaro. A vein ticked on her forehead. Didn't she already imply that there was only one person in this world who could call her by that name? Right now, he was standing right there and he didn't look happy about the fact that someone else has taken the liberty to do so. "Yeah," she answered. "So what?"

Cain-nii-san definitely wasn't happy seeing them together, but he was holding onto his wrist. When he let go of his wrist and stood up straight, he looked absolutely menacing. "Setsu," he said in a stern, firm tone that was filled with authority. "Stop playing games. It's time to go."

Setsu's face fell. He did come after her, but it was to personally bring her back to the President. Not back to their room. He was obviously not happy because she didn't do as he told.

"Let's go, Setsu."

She hesitated. She was still mad at Cain-nii-san for trying to get rid of her, wasn't she?

"No," she firmly stood her ground. "I don't want to leave yet." She grabbed Shotaro's sleeve. "You see, I'm going with this guy."

"What?" Shotaro and Cain-nii-san asked in identical tones of bewilderment.

"Let's go, Sho-tan." She grabbed his arm and broke into a run, dragging him along through the hallways as she looked for the elevator bank.

"Hey, wait, Setsu," Shotaro struggled to keep up with her.

"Didn't you say that you're going to take me somewhere where we can have fun?" she said breathlessly. "Let's do just that. I still haven't seen Tokyo since I got here. It's not going to be half as fun without my stupid older brother around, but whatever works."

"Setsu." Cain-nii-san called out as she saw him turn the corner following them just before she turned around another corner with Shotaro in tow.

Shotaro wriggled free of her grasp, grabbing her wrist as he pulled her to a stop. "Setsu," he growled as he let go of her hand. "This," he panted, "is not my idea of fun."

"Why not?"

"Because," he answered, not looking amused. "This is too much trouble to go through for someone I don't intend on seeing again after tonight."

"Eh?"

"I don't know what kind of weird thing you and your brother have going," he straightened up. "And I don't care. I'm not going to save you from your brother or something like that. No matter how pretty you are, there are tons of other pretty girls who'd give me less trouble just for a one night stand. To put it bluntly, Setsu," he stared at her. "You're not irreplaceable."

Kyoko felt like her world was spinning as she froze where she stood. It was just like that time at the studio again when Shotaro dumped her for being a plain girl who didn't amount to much. Now, she was prettied up and wearing the latest fashion, but it still wasn't good enough? It wasn't like she was going to do anything with him. She was intending to use him as an acting tool for Setsu, but as it turned out, she was still the one who was being used.

Before she realized what was happening, Shotaro was flying across the hall and slammed against the wall.

She looked up, confused, and saw Cain-nii-san as the perpetrator. From her angle, she saw a dangerous glint in his eyes.

B... BJ? she looked at him in panic. No, not quite.

"What the hell's your problem, man?" Shotaro asked when he recovered and straightened up.

"Nobody calls her that," Cain-nii-san said, as he gave Shotaro a deadly glare.

"Maybe not you," Shotaro announced as he walked up to him, his head raised as he stared up at Cain. Then, out of the blue, he gave Cain a punch right in the gut. "Nobody touches me like that and expects to get away with it!" he shouted. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Stop it!" Kyoko shouted as Shotaro moved his other fist to hit Cain again, but he caught it and moved to twist his arm.

Shotaro was going to start a national tour starting tomorrow! If he was going to be forced to postpone because of an injury that prevented him from playing a guitar, or worse - be beaten half-dead by Cain Heel, people would find out! Cain would be thrown into jail and be exposed as Tsuruga Ren! Tsuruga-san's squeaky clean image would be ruined!

But Cain turned Shotaro around and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pushed him hard against the wall, and pulled him up to face him. "Nobody touches her and expects to get away with it either," he said darkly, his eyes looking right at Shotaro. Kyoko's eyes widened and her blood grew cold when she saw the same dark murderous aura from Cain Heel as yesterday in the streets with Seaweed Head and his friends. He raised his arm to strike Sho, aiming right at his face.

"No, nii-san!" Kyoko shouted in desperation. "Stop it!" Unlike yesterday, she couldn't look away from the fight. She had to make sure that Cain Heel didn't injure Shotaro!

Amazingly, Cain's arm stopped in mid-air, unmoving. He let go of Shotaro's shirt, letting the singer slide down.

Kyoko felt her knees weaken with relief.

* * *

Sho straightened up when Setsuka Heel's older brother stopped and let go of him. The guy was frozen from where he stood, staring at something that wasn't there.

That was it? he thought in wonder. One order from his little sister, and he followed.

"What the-?" he smirked. "Imouto-san has you totally tamed, doesn't she, onii-san?" He started walking and passed the brother and said in a low voice, "Do you sit when she tells you to sit and roll over when she tells you to as well? She has you so completely whipped that you follow her every command hoping to get your belly scratched, am I right?"

The guy didn't even move.

He moved on and passed Setsuka Heel. His heart grew slightly heavy with guilt, feeling bad that he had to say things like that to a girl but...

Sorry, Setsuka-san, he thought as he walked away. There was only one girl in this world worth fighting for. And until the time came that he had to fight for her with the one person he'd never allow himself to lose her to, he was content with having her hate him. So, farewell... they would never see each other again.

When he turned the corner and what had just transpired finally sunk in, Sho felt his knees start to shake.

Damn, that was terrifying! he thought. And here he thought that the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen was Tsuruga when he was furious after he'd found out he was the one who had protected Kyoko from that stalker Beagle in Karuizawa. That guy - Setsuka's brother - was a million times more terrifying than he was. At the time, instead of worrying about how he was going to explain to his tour crew what happened to him if that guy had damaged his arm or his face, he was much more worried about if he was going to live or not.

* * *

It took a while before Ren regained his composure and got a hold of his bearings.

Unlike the first time, Mogami-san was not by his side. He looked around in confusion and found her standing just behind him, looking down at the floor, totally zoned out.

Worry creased his forehead as he turned around. She was so out of it that she didn't even react when he bent down in front of her and said softly, "Mogami-san?"

When she didn't respond, he thought she was still in character. "Setsu?" He couldn't see her face through Setsu's thick hair so he raised his hand to push it aside. However, she raised her hand and flung his hand aside.

"Go away," she said quietly. "I hate you."

Ren froze at the words. He'd considered the possibility and had even anticipated that it would happen. But to actually hear it... What his father said about how, even for an act, it hurt to be told by someone you love that they hate you, it wasn't an exaggeration by his over-reacting father, it was true.

"Setsu," he had to continue the act, since Mogami-san would not talk to him as Ren. "What's wrong?"

Well, he pretty much had an idea as to what was wrong. As Setsu, she was probably still mad about being sent away by her brother. As Mogami-san, it was impossible for what Fuwa had told her not to affect her. On top of not knowing who was bothering her, he really had no idea how to console her.

"I'm ready to go back now, nii-san," a quiet voice said softly.

He looked down at her and his heart broke. She looked so hurt and wounded.

Ren felt terrible. Yashiro-san was right. All this time, he'd been much more concerned about if she was a suitable protective charm, he hadn't really thought about how hard things could be for her. He was pushing her so much to catch up with him given the little time they had to act as Cain and Setsuka Heel, he hardly noticed how hard things were for her since she was doing so well.

"It's okay." With a sad smile, Ren held out his hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Kyoko leaned against the wall as the elevator zipped down towards the basement parking floor.

Tsuruga-san, she thought sadly, was really going to send her back.

Not a big surprise there. In two days, she'd caused nothing but trouble for him. He must be exhausted, she thought, as she studied his indecipherable face. He must really hate her now, she thought ashamedly. She wanted to apologize, but blurted out something completely different.

"Does your wrist hurt?"

Tsuruga-san looked at her in surprise, his hand reflexively covering his left wrist. "No, why do you ask?"

"You were holding it before you attacked Shotaro," she explained. Then worry overcame her. "Did you hurt yourself earlier? Or was it yesterday when you fought with Seaweed Head and his friends?"

"Seaweed?"

This was bad! Because of her, Tsuruga-san was going to play Cain with a bad wrist. What a lousy BJ that would end up being! The cool badass image would be ruined! It wasn't like Natsu who operated with a clique in front of her so that she was able to play with a bad right hand! Cain was a one-man operation.

"No," he said reassuringly. "It's a reflexive action for Cain." When she looked at him dubiously, he raised his hand and rotated it. "See?"

"Really?" Kyoko was still suspicious. She held out her hand. "Paw." Tsuruga-san put his gloved hand on hers. "Shake." He obediently shook her hand- What the hell was she doing? she thought when she caught herself when she was about to raise her hand to ruffle his head and say 'Good boy'. She still didn't know what a protective charm was supposed to be, but she knew her job didn't imply that she bark out commands at him to see if he'd obey.

She let go of his hand, but not before her fingertips brushed against something on his wrist. Probably a watch.

"Tsuruga-san," she said as the door opened to the basement lobby. As they stepped out, "I'm really sorry about all the problems I caused tonight. The other day too."

"It wasn't any problem," he said as they walked towards the door that led out to the garage. "Nothing could ever trouble me when it comes to my little sister."

"I just wanted to continue acting as Setsu," she quietly admitted. "I didn't really think I would cause such trouble. Kuu-tou-sa- no, Kuu Hizuri-sama once told me that when you really like acting a character, you really wouldn't want the role to stop. That it can even get depressing. I don't know if you ever experienced that, but I kinda felt like that." Actually, she was really mad and wanted to bite and scratch to continue. Even more so because she was also fighting for her interpretation of the character that was mercilessly being rejected by her co-star.

Tsuruga-san stopped walking. Kyoko also stopped, turned around and looked at him. "Would you have gone with him?" he asked.

"Eh?"

"If I wasn't there to get you, how far would you have gone as Setsu?"

He asked it so simply and so quietly that the silence that came after was like an ominous sign that she needed to answer properly.

"What are you talking about?" Setsu's indignation came forth at the thought that her onii-san would think of such things. "I hardly know the guy. I just wanted to get my onii-san's attention." And when that didn't seem like a sufficient reason, she added Tsuruga Ren wisdom. "To get the attention you need, every tool must be used." He told her that for the Kyurara audition. It was as true then as it was now. "I am a prickly girl who is in constant need of my onii-san's attention, especially now that I'm at a rebellious age. What do you think I'm capable of if I don't get my way?"

Tsuruga-san just looked at her. Kyoko shifted uncomfortably. She really had a bad character interpretation, didn't she? It was something totally incompatible with Tsuruga-san's Cain Heel.

Then he let out a small smile and walked on. "Alright then."

Her Setsu really wasn't compatible to Tsuruga-san's Cain. Kyoko's spirits plummeted as she stared ahead at Tsuruga-san. Her interpretation was really wrong to begin with.

They reached the spot where the trailer was parked. The sight made her feel really depressed. She was really going to have to say good-bye to Setsu.

"WHAT THE HELL TOOK THE TWO OF YOU SO LONG?" The President's voice cried out from an open window in the car that was meant to take her back. "Do you know what day it is? I missed my new favorite drama because of the two of you!"

* * *

**Chapter Notes:**

- I'm sorry for the lousy fight. I know it's generally a rehash of the fight Cain/BJ had Seaweed Head and his friends, but I'm really not good in writing such things - look at my previous work.

**- **Last chapter will be up tomorrow. Sorry this story has gone downhill.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I don't own Skip Beat!

**Acknowledgment:** Bloody_Rose021 for the awesome beta-reading. I'm sorry I'm crap on the keyboard. I was reading through notes as I typed so I mistype stuff :D

**Dogeza:** Alitablake. I'm sorry it ended up like this. You were so happy to have this dedicated to you too. *runs away to sob in a corner*

* * *

"Well?" The President said once everything had settled down after Mogami-san apologized for making the President miss his drama and something about ordering desserts. He opened the door. "Get in, Setsuka-chan. It's time to go home. Considering how long the two of you were gone means that you've already said your good-byes."

"Yes, sir," Mogami-san nodded, and was about to take a step forward when Ren raised his arm to stop her.

She looked up at him quizzically. "Nii-san?"

"Boss," he said. "I don't think Setsu wants to go home."

"Eh?"

Cain bent down until the two of them were face-to-face and spoke in a tone that only the two of them could hear. "Hey, Setsu. Didn't I promise that I'd take you out sightseeing and that you'd go on a major shopping spree when we came here?"

"Oh?" President Takarada raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, Setsuka-chan?"

"C'mon, Setsu," he smiled. "You still have a whole closet full of clothes you haven't worn yet, right?"

Mogami-san looked flustered and surprised at the sudden invitation. "Well..." she was at a loss as to what to say.

Cain stood up and turned to the President. "Of course, Boss," he answered for Setsu. "She clung to my leg like she had no intentions of letting go and whined about not wanting to go back because I still owe her a tour and a shopping spree." He feigned shame when Mogami-san gave him a wide-eyed, open-mouthed look of shock. "How could I let my irreplaceable little sister go when she looked that cute?"

After what Setsu had told him, there was no way he'd ever think about giving up on her.

The President was right. She really was the strongest protective charm. She'd grown on him to the point that he'd listen to whatever she said. Even an idiot like Fuwa realized it. And after encountering what could have been the very thing that could make him lose his cool when it came to her, he was now more confident that he'd be able to act out Cain and BJ without much problem. As long as she was there, he thought...

And, when his ulterior motive came to mind, a tiny smile flashed across his face. He'd get to spoil her some more - a privilege he could never get as Tsuruga Ren.

"B-Baka aniki!" Setsu cried out, her face red with embarrassment. "Why would you say something like that to the boss?" She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "I changed my mind! I'm going home."

"Are you sure, Setsuka-chan?" the President asked. "You know that when you go home, you're not going to be able to come back."

Setsu stopped her tantrum because of the President's ultimatum. He was dead serious about asking her. She should know that her tantrums and fits only work with nii-san.

"Well..." she said, twiddling her fingers. "If I can stay... If it's alright, there's something I need to ask the Boss..."

* * *

THAT IDIOT SHOTARO~! Kyoko got herself all riled up later that evening in the bathroom as she finally let loose with her demons flying around crazily - full of indignation for their mama.

One night stand, he said! Not irreplaceable, he said! Even if she was pretty, it still wasn't worth it, he said!

That... really PISSED HER OFF!

She knew that she wasn't pretty and that it took a whole lot of effort on Ten-san's part to make her qualify for the word 'pretty'. But, that didn't mean that he could just call her a one-night stand like she was even that cheap. It's not like she even had the sex appeal! She couldn't believe that she even let herself become affected by what he said! She almost thought about giving up. It was unforgivable!

All those horrible things that happened tonight...

Kyoko straightened her back, lowered her clasped hands, and smiled as her demons ended their ranting and disappeared.

...were gone.

She smiled softly and ran her fingertips over the smooth surface of The Corn Stone. She raised it up to the light and smiled when color changed.

She was so glad that the President let her bring along a personal item. She didn't want to get Tsuruga-san in trouble by telling him that he had brought something of his to this project so she just used the reasoning - "I know I'm supposed to play the role of one, but even Setsu needs her own protective charm..."

Kyoko placed the gemstone back into the little coin purse that served as its home.

Oh well, now that all that was over, she'd tackle the new challenge head-on!

Now...

WHAT THE DAMN HELL WAS THE USE OF BUYING NEW UNDERWEAR WHEN WHAT SHE ENDED UP BUYING WAS MUCH MORE INDECENT THAN WHAT TEN-SAN ORIGINALLY GOT HER! she thought in agony as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Just what kind of girl was Setsu?

When she was shopping, she carefully chose each article with Setsu's mindframe. The set she brought with her in the bathroom was held together by flimsy strings that she knew would fall off if she moved too much while she slept!

What the hell was she going to do? She couldn't run outside to the closet to get another set without rousing Tsuruga-san's attention. She could always resort to the pants like she did last night, but Tsuruga-san already gave her a second chance to act as Setsuka so she couldn't disappoint him by not owning the role!  
She had to think of something, she thought as she desperately rummaged through the hamper and looked around the room.

Her shirt! she lifted the button-down, long-sleeved gray number Cain-nii-san bought her yesterday at Jeanne d'Arc. She'd only worn it that morning before she'd resumed being Mogami Kyoko for her Box "R" shoot and just now after she and Tsuruga-san had come back from work. And it covered her down to the upper thigh, so she could easily say that she wore it because the air conditioner was cold! It was perfect!

But what if nii-san adjusted the thermostat?

It wasn't fair! How come Tsuruga-san could run around outside in a pair of ripped and distressed jeans and a faded black shirt? Totally out of place for Tsuruga Ren's fashionable style, but appropriate for Cain Heel.

And her shirt smelled of the smoke from the tonkatsu she had prepared after she and nii-san went back to the room.

It wasn't like she couldn't adjust, she thought, trying to justify wearing it.

She'd sleep in the shirt, wake up tomorrow, get dressed, go to the Dark Moon set, then have a meeting with the Box "R" cast called for by the director and act as Setsuka Heel. She was going to spend the day as a member of the entertainment industry smelling like fried breaded pork.

No! she shrieked in her head. What kind of ojou-sama would Mio end up being if she smelled like that? She'd smell like a total commoner! What would happen with Natsu? How would she incite the admiration and fear of people if she smelled like that? It definitely wouldn't work!

* * *

After finishing off drying the dishes, Ren walked over to the sleeping area of the room and fell on his back - diagonal to the bed with his left arm outstretched.

He'd had a nice dinner with Setsu. It was ready by the time he'd gotten out of the shower and they ate together as their brother-sister relationship called for. Unlike last night where they ate separately when he didn't wait for her because she told him to finish his meal before she came back.

He raised his head at the sound of the bathroom door opening and his eyes widened at the sight of what Setsu was wearing.

He opened his mouth and said, "That's my shirt."

It was too big for her. It was slightly bigger than his size too. The sleeves were folded up and it covered a good deal of her thighs. And it totally covered her slim, trim body. But, it was still the sexiest thing he'd ever seen her in.

"Yeah," she smiled uneasily as she stuffed the day's laundry (minus his shirt) into the washer/dryer. "I got cold last night so I needed something to wear over my camisole."

"You could have used a fresher shirt," he said matter-of-factly.

"Eh?" She looked at it. "But it still smelled nice since you were in costume for a role earlier. You didn't even smoke today."

Then she walked over to the thermostat and fiddled with the control. Ren didn't feel any change in the room temperature. "Alright then..." She turned to the laundry. "I'll just leave them there and hang them when I get up tomorrow."

Then she walked over to her bed and turned the covers. Ren closed his eyes and suppressed a groan.

Yashiro-san was right. He was going to die from lack of sleep.

Then something hit his outstretched arm. He was so taken by surprise that he reflexively pulled it away. He opened his eyes as a loud thump hit the floor.

* * *

Kyoko fell on her behind. Hard.

"That's so mean, nii-san!" she cried out in shock. He'd pushed her off the bed! She clutched her pillow to her chest. "Didn't you say that I could use your arm as a pillow?"

He just stared at her for a moment. Kyoko wondered nervously if she was taking things too far. But wasn't he the one who made mentioned that the Heel siblings had the inclination to share a bed?

"Are you sure, Setsu?" Cain-nii-san raised his eyebrow at her.

He was daring her... she thought in agony. This was torture! Why was it so hard to please an actor like Tsuruga-san? She nodded and hoped to God no one found out about this or she'd never get married. Not that it was even a possibility anyway.

"Alright then," Cain-nii-san moved to make room for her on the bed.

"Nii-san," she said in a scolding tone. "Go under the blanket or you'll catch a cold."

Cain-nii-san moved to put half of the comforter over him, leaving the thin blanket underneath and the other half of the comforter for her use. It was something odd for Cain Heel to do, but Kyoko didn't question it and was just thankful for the consideration.

Kyoko lied down - flat on her back and as stiff as a corpse.

The bed was big enough for the two of them. However, with his size and how he must be used to such a ginormous bed in Tsuruga-san's apartment, the bed seemed small and cramped in comparison. Kyoko started edging towards the side to make sure that Tsuruga-san would have more space and be more comfortable.

Jeez... she thought as she continued to inch away. All this trouble just to get some sleep. She stopped when her side had reached the edge of the bed and her head was lying on his wrist. Any more and she'd fall.

Cain-nii-san let out a chuckle and pulled her back to the center of the bed by bending his arm and drawing her closer. Kyoko felt herself move to the side.  
"It's so hard to make my little sister happy nowadays," he commented.

"Eh?"

"When we were kids..."

Ah, Tsuruga-san had established something about Cain and Setsuka Heel's childhood. She never thought he would be that thorough, but she guessed it was because something about the scene they were having called for it.

"...when you'd get sad because an 88 you got wasn't enough to impress your important person-"

Kyoko felt her mood drop. She did get 88's as a child, which wasn't enough to impress her mother.

"-all I'd need to do was do flips and you'd be happy again."

She buried her face in the pillow to hide her smile. It was nice to remember the exhilaration she felt the first time she saw C-

She froze. That was... too detailed. So much so that she'd imagined the wrong thing. The wrong person.

"Now, it's all trips and shopping sprees," Cain-nii-san continued. "It's good that I keep getting work. How could I keep you happy otherwise?"

He was teasing her. Cain-nii-san was, Kyoko thought. The Setsu-appropriate reply would be... "You do your work because you love to act," she scolded, repeating what he told her when they were standing outside of Jeanne d'Arc on her first shopping spree. "The shopping trips are just a bonus. And I don't go along with you because of that. I go along with you because I don't like being away from you very much." Then without much thought, she added, "I'm just as happy going shopping with you now as much as I liked the time when we were children when we would play with rocks and pretend they were-"

"Hamburgers," he finished.

She was going to say that, but having him say it made it even more unbearable.

That was another Mogami Kyoko and Corn memory killed, Kyoko thought in agony. Since that fairy remark from that afternoon, when she thought about it, she always imagined Tsuruga-san as a fairy prince - which was totally wrong because her fairy prince had blond hair! Not dark brown like the doppelganger in her fantasies, Tsuruga Ren, and most definitely not a huge mass of darkness like Cain Heel.

Kyoko decided to end this talk before Corn totally disappeared from her memories. So she took a deep breath and said, "Alright, we'll have hamburgers tomorrow."

"Setsu."

"What is it, nii-san?" she asked, looking up at him. Why was he so talkative? Cain-nii-san was never the talkative type and neither was Tsuruga-san. They said that they needed to say and moved on. It was like he was agitated and restless about something. It could be her and how she invaded the bed, but he would have NG-ed her already if it was that.

"Thank you for not going back home."

And why was he thanking her? He was the one who tried to send her back and changed his mind last minute. She wanted to point that out, but didn't because she was just grateful for the second chance.

"Well," she lifted her head and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for not sending me back." Then, with the pillow still held tight against her chest, she turned around to face away from him. "Now go to sleep, nii-san. You need to get up by six-thirty." She closed her eyes and tried to beckon sleep to quiet her restless mind.

She didn't feel him move or shift for a while. Kyoko started to worry that he got annoyed by the kiss. Was it wrong? she thought worriedly. Growing up in a foreign country like the Heel siblings, a kiss on the cheek shouldn't be a big deal, right? It should be a normal way to show affection.

And it wasn't like she was going to habitually shower him with kisses every time. It was perfectly within Tsuruga-san's Actor's Rule Of The Heart guidelines! They were doing a scene and it called for it.

Maybe it grossed him out. But they were in character, right? They were both drifting off to sleep and he kept continuing the scene.

Then she felt the bed shift as Cain-nii-san snuggled closer to her.

Yes, Kyoko thought as she wiggled to gasp for air. He was disgusted and he wanted to kill her by cutting off her air passage.

* * *

"Kyoko-chan..."

Kyoko was looking through the water and turned to the voice that called her. She smiled and cried out, "Corn!"

Corn was standing by the trees with his face hidden by the shadows. "Do you," he asked, "want to go with me to the land of the fairies?"

She let out a cry of delight. "I do! I do!"

He held out his hand and said, "Then let's go..."

Kyoko started walking towards him and stretched out her hand. She looked up to see her cherished fairy prince's face and saw.

"Mogami-san..." Tsuruga Ren smiled down at her.

* * *

Kyoko woke up with a jolt.

What a nightmare! she thought.

Well, Tsuruga-san wasn't exactly a nightmare. Had it been the Demon Lord or The Emperor or Cain-nii-san, it would have been. But the riverbank in Kyoto was definitely not where he belonged in her dreams!

She shifted and her eyes widened in surprise to find out that she wasn't alone on the bed. The only thing that kept her from shrieking out loud was when everything that happened just before she fell asleep came back to her.

She must have moved while she was sleeping because she was once again facing Tsuruga-san. The pillow was still pressed tight against her chest. She looked up and studied his face. At least after she thought he was going to kill her, he quieted down and fell right to sleep.

Through the dim lighting that filtered through the windows, he looked really peaceful and boyish. No signs of the stress he showed when he was often in Cain Heel's character.

She looked closer and knew that she had that part perfected on the latest version of the Ren doll. It was the middle part she was having problems with and had to go with estimates. A chance she'd never get again because even with her current version of Setsu, she was never going to jump into the shower with him. Ever.  
She sighed at the lost opportunity that would never come again.

She shifted again and realized that her hand was on his chest. She already had that part of the doll done too.

Through the blanket and the shirt that he was wearing, his chest felt hard but still warm as it rose and fell as he breathed. She faintly felt his heart beat too.  
She moved her hand lower to his stomach. He shifted and made a little sound but didn't wake up. They were also hard and she could feel muscles right down to his abs. She wondered if Shotaro hurt his hand when he punched him or if Tsuruga-san even felt it. At least she knew that he'd had a full meal tonight, she smiled warmly.

Now if she were to move her hand lower, she-

* * *

**Chapter Notes:**

- Yes, it ended up like that. This is a T fiction. I leave it up to your imagination of where that leads to. No one would like to read my version of events.

- KNOWLEDGE TO UNDERSTAND THIS STORY: The original concept of this fanfic was that it was only supposed to be a one-shot containing only chapters four entitled "How Ren Finally Got Kyoko Into Bed". Now, if I did that, this fanfic would be shallow and be nothing but fluff. I don't like writing fluff. So, I wrote three chapters before it to give the story more depth. That resulted to a series of events in this chapter I never thought would even be possible had I not written the first three chapters. This is something even my beta-reader didn't know. I fear that she wouldn't agree to beta this had she known.

- Thank you for sitting through it. I'm sorry for everyone who was expecting awesomeness based on chapter one and were horridly disappointed. Don't worry. Chapter 163 should be out in a few hours.


End file.
